Chương 190: LOG-181.

Nacre One was not having a very nice cycle. Though that was kind of par for the course when the Reef was actively under attack!

"Ugh! The gall! The audacity! Have you golden brutes no shame!?" Her counterpart's question served to herald Nacre Two's half hearted attempt at throwing a stray piece of debris at one of the invading Quartz soldiers currently blocking their path to the hangar bays, the piece of what must have once been a chunk of wall bouncing off of the Jasper's head and confuddling her just long enough for the Storm Quartz trooper she had been dueling to gain the upper hand.

Peeking out from behind the overturned statue she had chosen to hide behind (and wincing at the faux Pearl's shattered head), the Caretaker couldn't help but suck in a breath as she realised that despite each Storm Quartz proving more than a match for three of their own number, they were still steadily, undeniably losing. Though that was kind of inevitable really, considering their little band of seven or so odd Gems were currently outnumbered five to one!

Stars, she was pretty sure she could make out the strutting figure of a Hessonite through one of the view ports displaying the pads set for visiting ships outside as well, freshly departed from a landing craft of some kind! Augh, first the traitors would shatter them, no doubt. Then they would surely deface the once lovely reception area Nacre One and her party had been moving through, before moving on to conquer the rest of the Reef! Oh, of all the indignities-!

A strange sound stunned the panicking Caretaker for an instant, one that managed to overpower even the ever present clamour of summoned weapons slamming against each other. It was a sound that she hadn't heard in quite a long time. Thousands upon thousands of cycles, at the very least. A slight buzzing that she knew had once heralded the approach of thunderous storms, back before the raging seas around the Reef had been forcibly calmed and tamed through extensive terraforming efforts.

The buzz increased, loud and intense enough that it felt like Nacre One's own lightform was rattling in tune with it. Then? There was lightning. White, glowing lightning, scattering all throughout the area and coalescing into barely shaped orbs of what surely must have been pure power, the faintest silhouettes of Gemoid figures held within.

With a snapping sound that left everyone present doubling over, the raging storm that had manifested within the reception finally ended, and Nacre One, barely cognizant after realising that her lightform had begun smoking, looked up to see just what the source of it had been. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

For just an instant, she could have sworn that White Diamond herself had arrived to save them, but as the towering, radiant Gem standing within the center of a formation of translucent Quartzes raised a hand, the Caretaker beheld the truth of the matter.

The White Grossular gave the Yellow Court invaders around them a mere instant to realise the ramifications of who had arrived, starlit cloak fluttering behind her back in an unseen breeze, before power shot forth from her fingers, the lightning arcing between targets. First a Jasper, then a trio of Amethysts, and then an entire squad of Rubies, before moving on to the next, ending in a Citrine briefly letting out a scream of pain before she too fell beneath the onslaught.

In less than a moment, the assaulting group had been reduced to smoking gemstones, all sat inert upon the floor, leaving the Garnet to slowly lower her extended arm with an imperious expression coating her features, even as one of the remaining Storm Quartz troopers that had survived the onslaught snapped into a hasty salute nearby, features suitably shocked at the high ranking commander's arrival.

"Y-Your luminescence! Our apologies for the state of your arrival zone, we weren't expecting special forces!" The raise of a finely sculpted brow, patterned with White Diamond's own features in mind, caused the soldier to flinch back slightly as the Garnet responded with a suitably deadpan reply.

"That is rather the point, trooper." Turning away from the stunned Quartz, the Grossular stared down at Nacre One, and it was with her attention that the Caretaker finally realised her dishevelled, unacceptable state, rapidly standing up and smoothing out the folds of her lightform to look at least somewhat presentable in the face of one of White Diamond's personal enforcers.

"Grossular, I'm glad to finally see that some reinforcements have arrived!" The commander briefly looked her up and down in a way that made her feel more than a little self conscious, even as Two performed a similar bit of self maintenance nearby, then nodded.

"We received the Overseer's call. Give me a summary of the situation." Nodding back and levelling a wary eye towards the still approaching form of the Hessonite outside, something that her military counterpart had clearly also taken note of, Nacre One sighed.

"It appears the rumours regarding the Yellow Court's imbalance have finally been proven true. The Reef is under attack by a small fleet currently holding in orbit, with a few of their number having descended through the atmosphere, I…am unsure of what resistance may be delaying the rest of them." Her hesitation was answered by the Garnet shaking her head, small crackles of energy occasionally slipping in between and around her fingers.

"Currently engaged by my own personal vessel, brought forth through my translocation abilities. Continue." Taking the prompting for what it was, the Caretaker did as ordered.

"Y-Yes, of course. Overseer Nacre Four has declared what I have surmised to be a general evacuation order, likely to keep the current Batch of Pearls out of harm's way. Obedient and well trained as they are, they will likely be making their way to the shuttle hangars from wherever they were when the order was given. The Overseer has also instructed the rest of us to resist capture."

Her words earned an approving hum from the Grossular, before the White Court Garnet turned to face the doorway currently being battered open by a pair of Ruby fusions, even as their superior officer stood behind them with a triumphant, almost mocking expression being levelled at them through one of the viewports.

"Acceptable. I will handle the enemy general. Convene with your Pearls and proceed with the evacuation. These Storm Quartz will accompany you." She could see one of the soldiers in question preparing to protest being removed from the action, only for the commander to raise a hand, that same crackling energy spreading outwards to begin arcing between the previously inactive Clear Quartz troopers arranged around her.

"Then they may rejoin the defence of this facility." One by one, the electric current passed through the translucent Gems, and one by one, the Caretaker watched as they were suffused with the very will and authority of their Garnet, the control manifesting as a white light spreading outwards from the center of their gemstones, until their lightforms were clear no longer.

Then as if they were one singular entity rather than a contingent of individuals, the warriors began to march forward in lockstep, their puppeteer watching them move to confront the invaders with an impassive expression. Feeling a familiar clawed hand clutching her shoulder, One turned to see Two not so subtly glancing towards the hallway they had been intending to pass through since the beginning, and nodded, even as their remaining Storm Quartz guards began to surround them, forming a protective cordon.

It was time to find their Pearls and leave.